When it comes to games, I'm an avowed Turtle.
That is to say, I like to explore a game, I'll run all the way up the tech tree before crushing my enemies. I'll expand, then hunker down and just grow in power until I burst forth like a supernova. At least in strategy games, like Civilization or Stellaris. Given that, it's no secret that I prefer Damage Over Time characters in games like Midnight Suns. So, let's talk about the difference between them in that context, shall we?
As more and more of the heroes' abilities and specialties are revealed, it's becoming clearer and clearer as to what roles they're going to play on any given team. I’ll be discussing that in another upcoming post, but this article is more about the styles of play than the actual abilities the heroes possess. That is to say, this is more about the player than the game.
DPS and DOT are two very different ways to play a game like Midnight Suns. The former is trying to take out as many enemies as quickly as possible, while the latter is more about living while your enemies slowly wither on the vine. It's basically the difference between a stab with a sword or slowly poisoning them. Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Wolverine; these seem to be the heavy hitters of the game so far. I suspect Blade with the Bleed mechanic and Nico with her random debuffs will fall into the latter. Depending on what style you prefer, that'll have a lot to do with the heroes you pick to take on missions, and whom you try to befriend. The more you use a hero, the better you'll want them to be, after all.
Personally, I like the DOT way. Not sure why, maybe there's a bit of the sadist in me when it comes to pixel enemies, but it's very satisfying to see those enemy hp bars melt away turn after turn. Or maybe it's directly related to the way I play strategy games. But not only will this inform the makeup of the team of heroes you build, it will definitely inform how you build your Hunter.
We've seen so far that YOUR hero can have multiple paths. Light, Dark or something of a hybrid in between them. That's going to make them the real crux of your team. Even the most ardent fan of DPS knows you need to chug a healing potion from time to time, and the tankiest of DOT players realize that you have to do SOME type of damage to the enemies or you'll lose that war of attrition eventually. YOUR hero will be one of the most interesting things to build.
Maybe you want Captain Marvel and Iron Man blasting away, while you stay back and keep them healthy. Maybe you'll want to be in the thick of the fight, so you'll have Dr. Strange or Captain America around to debuff and protect you while you go crazy. Maybe you build a balanced character, so you have even more options as to the heroes you can bring around. Whatever your playstyle, it's going to be a brand new experience. As Firaxis has stated time and again, this is the first game where you get to customize your own superhero. That hearkens back to the days of the old MMO City of Heroes, or even Freedom Force! (If those titles mean nothing to you, Google is free.)
I know Skully is partial to Healers as characters, so I'm betting he'll go that way. Me? I'm not so sure. I think it'll depend a lot on who I favor as my companions as to how I build up my own personal hero. Finding that combination of other heroes and how you build your own, is going to be one of the deepest parts of the game. I'll bet Skully is already putting spreadsheets together...
In any event, the sheer variety of choices available with three paths for your hero and twelve others to bring along is going to be one of those hotly debated topics once we can actually play the game.
I'm looking forward, not only to what I come up with, but what everyone else does too!
- Rock
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